 Poster: A snowHead
|
Easyjet have put on a flight this winter from Southend to Grenoble, running for the 8 weeks of January/February. Flights are only on Sundays, but at good times in the morning.
So I'm trying to work out why the flights are obviously not selling, as they are still really cheap. Roughly they are £30 each way in January, but that's only rising to £50 each way for the February half-term.
Personally I've only flown out of Southend once, but I found it a decent airport, nice and quiet and easy parking. I know it's also easy to get to by rail.
Is Grenoble the problem? I don't know as I've never been there. Or perhaps that the flights are Sunday to Sunday, although I thought quite a lot of accommodation ran from Sunday to Sunday nowadays?
Looking for the wisdom of Snowheads to help me out.
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Wed 1-11-23 11:33; edited 1 time in total
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
| Quote: |
I know it's also easy to get to by rail.
|
I just checked - it takes four and a quarter hours from home. Grenoble airport is also difficult to get to and from. Easyjet flight Birmigham to Geneva can be obtained for not much more - £61 return going out on saturday 13th coming back the next week. There are some very cheep flights around at the moment. It's just the transfers that are expensive.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
|
Most French places are Sat-Sat, although an increasing number will take Sun-Sun - particularly in the 'cheap weeks'.
I would use (and have used) GNB and it's ok, providing it's not mobbed, and I suspect a Sunday will be Ok. Grenoble is also a small airport (so is Southend). If things go wrong they go very wrong. If there are several flights all scheduled at similar times, then baggage collection on the way in, and check-in on the way out can be a bun-fight (similar to Chambery). Check the Tour operator schedules. If there are no TUi flights at/about your times, then you should be spared that.
We've always hired a car from GNB. The drive to the Tanantaise is about the same as Lyon, and shorter than Geneva. Closer still if you're going to L2A or Alp D'huez.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
Crystal fly to the Southern Alps (e.g. Serre Chevalier/Sauze) on Sundays, but they now use Chambery/Turin.
I have flown into Grenoble in the distant past (only with a T/O) and it was very much like Chambery - several flights arriving in a short space of time, resulting in the 'Bun Fight' as mentioned above...
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
I think it's just the fact most travellers prefer Sat-Sat holidays. Partly that's because most accomodation is Sat-Sat but on the way out you're on the excitement high and just want to get back...while on the way back you're thinking about all the washing/ski servicing/fully sobering up before work so want the Sunday as a recovery day.
Grenoble's a bit of a shitshow of queues, pre-queues, and pre-pre-queue holding pens in gazeboos...on a Saturday morning when they see 80% of their weekly traffic. Sundays should be a lot quieter and Grenoble just like any other airport.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
@Judwin,
| Quote: |
Most French places are Sat-Sat
|
It's rather more nuanced than that. If you're looking at private lets on e.g. Airbnb you are quite likely (well, in Chamonix at least) to find fairly flexible dates other than high season weeks. Although there seems to be a trend back to Sat-Sat in Winter. Sun-Sun defo not a trend round here.
Point being, don't book your flights until you know you can secure somewhere to stay!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Grenoble airport got worse every time I used it....and it wasn't starting from a high place. Too small to cope with the seasonal traffic. A crap way to both start and end your holiday. Lyon is almost the same transfer time to most resorts and much more like an actual airport.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Might be that Southend are offering a very good deal to easy on fees to generate pax traffic who then buy parking etc.
That said 3 weeks ago I got Man to Gva on a Monday in early Mar for 12 quid with jet2.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
|
| under a new name wrote: |
Point being, don't book your flights until you know you can secure somewhere to stay! |
Yes.
Accomodation, transfer options will then lead you to the flights you need.
A well connected airport like Geneva or Zurich on a Saturday gives lots of options.
A cattle shed in the middle of nowhere on a Sunday when nothing is running, not so much.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The flight may be cheap but they’ll nail you with the baggage charges!
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
|
Are you saying Easyjet charge more for baggage on their Southend flights than they do for their flights from other airports?
|
|
|
|
|
|
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
|
|
Where are you skiing? Look at flying into Lyon and catching the ski busses there. If your destination is Grenoble, you can catch the TGV right at Lyon airport and take it to Grenoble. There are busses available at the Grenoble gare to the local resorts plus Les 2 Alpe and Alpe d'Huez. Look at the schedules on Transaltitude.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
